Support for carriage-tops



(No Model.)

I. L. UMSTEAD.

SUPPORT FOR GARRIAGE TOPS.- No. 314,631. Patented Mar. 31,1885.

dramas ATIENT tries.

ISAAC L. UMSTEAD, OF IONE CITY, CALIFORNIA.

SUPPORT FOR CARRIAGE-TOPS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 314,631, dated March31, 1885.

Application filed January 5, 1885.

To cZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ISAAC L. UMSTEAD, of Ione City, Amador county, Stateof California, have invented an Improvement in an Adj ustable Supportfor Carriage-Tops; and I hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to the class of carriage tops which are adapted tobe raised and thrown back,and to certain improvements in the means forsupporting them.

My invention consists in a peculiar adjustable or extensible rod, one oneach side of the top, journaled at its lower end on the arm of theshifting-rail and pivoted at its top to the rear bow of thecarriage-top; and it further consists in certain details of constructionrelating to an eccentric bearing of the lower end. of the rod, itsvarious adjustments, means for holding it, when necessary, andpreventing rattling, all of which I shall hereinafter fully explain.

The object of my invention will be made to appear in the course of thespecification.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective viewof the body and top of a buggy. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of same,showing the top thrown back. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of myextensible rod.

I have illustrated my invention in connection with an ordinarybuggy-top, although it is applicable to any carriage-top which isadapted to be thrown back.

A is the body of a buggy, and B is its seat. 0 is the usualshifting-rail encircling the seat, and D is the arm which projectslaterally and horizontally on each side from the side of the rail at itsback. E is the top, the bows F of which on each side converge downwardlyand are linked together or jointed to the front ends of theshifting-rail in the usual manner. G is the long-jointed stay, and H isthe shortjointed stay, arranged with relation to each other and to thetop in the ordinary way.

The top E is thrown back by bending the jointed stays, and when movedback to its limit the rearmost bow on each side lies upon the arm D, andthese two bows bear the weight shorter than the distance between thesaid (No model.

point of contact and back end or top of the bows, that the latterdistance becomes a lever through which almost the entire weight of thetop (which is back of the bearing-point) acts against the front bearingand upon the supporting-bows. The effect of this is to wrench the frontconnection, but more especially to break the supportingbows. On rocky oron even or rough roads where the top is jarred and thumps upon the armD, these effects are constantly following, and are a source of greatannoyance and expense, for, in repairing, the entire bow must be removedand a new one substituted.

It is the object of my invention to overcome this difficulty by removingthe bearing from the bows, and substituting a more suitable supportwhich is capable of bearing without injury the weight of the top, nomatter to what jarring or thumping it may be subjected. Accordingly Iemploy an extensible rod, I. The lower end of this rod I pivot on thearm I) between the bearing of the long-jointed stay and the rail, andits upper end I pivot either directly or through the intervention of asuitable iron, i, to the top of the rear bow. There is one such rod oneach side. The reason for the extensibility of the rod I is that thecenter of motion of the top does not 00- incide with that of the rod,and therefore, in lowering the top the rod must shorten, as in Fig. 2,and in raising the top it must lengthen, as in Fig. 1. The limit ofcontraction of the red I is so regulated that it shall hold the top inthe proper inclined position, as shown in Fig. 2, where the rod hasitself an upward inclination, thereby acting as a strut-brace to supportthe top, which cannot move farther down, because the rod cannot shortenany more. The rod therefore supports the top, and the bows are .heldclear of the arm D, so that they cannot be broken, nor can theirconnection in front be wrcnched or injured in any wise.

There are several ways in which the rod I may be constructed so as torender it extensible, but for the purpose of its various adjustments(the reasons for which I shall explain as I proceed) I prefer thefollowing: The rod Iconsists of two main sections, the lower, m, beingtubular, and the upper, n, being a spindle or steel rod'adapted totelescope into the lower and to find its limit of movement in the lowerend ofthc tube. The tube at may be integral, if desired; or, better, itinay consist of two parts, the lowermost, m,'being made of malleableiron and provided with an internal thread at its upper end, into whichthe externallythreaded lower end of the portion 'm is screwed, whichsaid portion can be of gaspipe.

Now, as to-the bearing or journal by which the lower end of rod I ispivoted on arm D, if .a set of supporting-rods were required for aspecific buggy they could be made exactly for the top, and the journalcould be an ordinary one formed by the eye 0 on the base of the rod; butas the tops of buggies differ to some extent in height, it is necessary,in order to manufacture the rods inrquantity, that they shall have asmuch adjustment as possible, so as to fit any top. The principaladjustment of this character I obtain by the employment of a disk, J,which is secured upon the arm D eccentrically. Upon this eccentric theeye 0 of the rodis pivoted, and is secured by suitable thrown back.

side flanges. By changing the position of the eccentric on the arms therods may be shortened or lengthened by so much to suit particular tops,so that in some cases the spindle will'not reach its limit too soon, andin others will not be drawn out from the tube entirely. The secondadjustment, though but a partial one, is found in the screw-connectionsbetween the base m and the portion m. In order to prevent rattlingbetween the spindle n and the tube m, I have the following: Upon the upper portions of the tube are secured, by setscrews 10, two collars, I,between which extends a bar, Q. Through the bar a small screw, R,passes, having on its end a small cushion or rubber pad, 1", which bearsupon the spindle, a slot being made in the tube through which thiscontact takes place.

If forany reason the top of the tube has subsequently to be cut off, itwill be observed that by loosening the set-screw p the collars P and thewhole device can be adjusted lower down.

Some may prefer to have the rod I act as a sup port to the top whenraised as well as when In such a case I provide the top of the tube atwith a small spring or pawl, s, which is adapted to engage with notchesor teeth 8', formed on the spindle. WVheu such a device is used, it willof course require theuse of both hands to lower the topone being engagedwith the top and the other in disengaging the spring s.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. An adjustable supporter for swinging carriage or buggy tops,consisting of an extensible rod, bar, or brace-one on each side near theback-pivoted at its lower end to the arm of the shifting-rail or othersuitable portion of the body and pivoted at its upper end to the bow ofthe top, substantially as herein described.

buggy tops, consisting of the telescopic rods I, pivoted below on thearms of the shiftingrail and above to the rear bows of the top,

substantially as and for the purpose herein described. I

4. In combination with a swinging carriage or buggy top and theshifting-rail O, to which its bows are jointed, said rail having arms Dat the rear, the telescopic rods or braces I,

consisting of the tubes m, having an eye by which their lower ends arepivoted on the arm D, and the spindles a, sliding in the tubes andpivoted to the rear bows of the top, substantially as herein described.

5. In combination with the swinging carriage or buggy top, thetelescopic rods or braces I, formed of the tubular base m, having eye 0,by whichit is pivoted on the arm of the shifting-rail, the tubularcenter m, screwed to the base, and the spindle a, sliding in the tubularbase and center and pivoted to the top of the rear bows, substantiallyas and for the purpose herein described.

6. The swinging top E of a carriage or buggy, shifting-rail 0, havingarms D at its rear, and the eccentric disks J on said arms, incombination with the extensible or telescopic rods or braces I, pivotedbelow on the eccentric and above to the rear bows of the top,substantially as herein described.

7. In combination with the swinging carriage or buggy top, thetelescopic rods or braces I, pivoted below 011 the arms of the shiftingrail and above to the rear bows of the top, and the means by which therattling of said rods is avoided, consisting of the collars P, on theouter section of the rods, the bar Q, between the collars, and thecushioned screw R,passing through the bar and through slot in the outersection and bearing against the inner section, substantially as hereindescribed.

8. In combination with swinging carriage or buggy top E, the telescopicrods or braces I, pivoted below on the arm of the shiftingrail and aboveon the rear bows of the top, and the means by which the rods are made toact as supports for the top when raised, consisting of the spring orpawl s on the outer section and the notches or teeth 8 on the innersection, substantially as herein described. I In witness whereof I havehereunto set my hand.

ISAAC L. UMSTEAD. Witnesses:

J. MAREHANT, J. D. .PERKINs.

